Harry

"How about a game of exploding snap?" asked Professor McGonagall as she eyed the young child before her. The child's eyes were beginning to droop, and she was in two minds about putting him down for a nap before lunch.

"Exploding snap?" the child wondered aloud in amazement. Now snap, he had heard of. It was this fun game where you matched cards up and had to shout SNAP really quickly whilst slapping your hand down. Exploding snap, however, sounded like a much more interesting game to the young boy. Adjusting himself to sit on his knees, he glanced up at the older woman in question.

"Yes, a very exciting game magical children play", moving over to her bookshelves where she was sure she kept a deck of the cards. It took her just a moment to find them and use her wand to relieve them of any dust accumulation from lack of use.

"Can I play them?" the child asked hesitantly "even if I'm not a magic child?" eyes peeking up at the lady through a messy mop of dark hair.

Professor McGonagall immediately moved over to the boy, sitting down on her armchair in front of the coffee table and looking at the child quizzically. It had surprised her when Albus had said the child knew little to nothing about the magical world, in particular his own magical abilities. However, looking at the inquisitive face, she pondered how she could set the child's mind at ease.

"Well" she began, as though giving it significant thought "I have never seen a non-magical child play a game of exploding snap". The child was now sat on the opposite side of the table, heightened by the position in which he sat atop his own knees. He watched attentively as the older woman divided the deck of cards between them, turning just one face up on the table. "I suppose we will have to give it a try, since I seem to have misplaced my muggle set".

Severus

The peace and quiet had been most welcome. He had to admit, albeit only to himself, that the boy was not near as much trouble as he had thought he would be. In fact, for the most part he was seen and not heard, just the type of circumstances Severus was happy with. After breakfast that morning, he had sent the child off with Minerva. The students were expected to arrive that afternoon, and in all the commotion of locating the young child, Severus was behind in his preparations.

"Albus, I have my proposal for the Slytherin prefects" he spoke as he placed his proposal on the headmaster's desk, avoiding the pleasantries of introductions.

"Severus, my boy. Things are going well, I hope?" the older man asked, not paying so much as a glance towards the proposal the younger man had provided. Most of the heads of houses simply told the headmaster verbally which students they had appointed as prefects. Severus, on the other hand, always provided written recommendations, as though the headmaster may otherwise not be satisfied with his choice.

"I was able to replenish my stores, in particular the porcupine quills which unexplainably disappeared at the end of last year" the man responded, knowing very much so that the Headmaster had not been enquiring about his potion's stores. He knew the man was asking about the child, and he himself didn't know why he was so resistant to speaking about him.

"Splendid" he praised, though there was a definite sparkle in the blue eyes which said he would not be dropping the subject soon. "And what of young Harry?" he asked, as he watched Severus drop himself into a seat opposite his desk.

"Fine" Severus sighed, not having all that much to say about the boy "he cries too much" he groused, though he had not intended to do so allowed. Thus, he watched as the usually serene wrinkled face turned serious – a frown marking the gentle features.

"You will treat him fairly, Severus" the older man began seriously, holding up a hand in protest when the younger man attempted to speak. "I care not of your feelings towards James, you will put them aside for him" he finished sternly, blue eyes now looking at the young man over the rim of his glasses. Severus felt again as though he was a student, rather than a teacher, and had the shame to look away as the headmaster's eyes bored into his own. Instead of responding, he simply stood, reaching over to pick up the proposal he had laid out on the desk not ten minutes earlier.

"If you are happy with my proposal, I have preparations to attend to" he spoke calmly, as though he had not seen the unspoken warning in the older man's words. Though, as he turned to leave and approached the door, Albus Dumbledore spoke once more.

"Remember my words Severus, the sins of our Father's need not become our own". Severus knew exactly what the words alluded to. The Headmaster thought his cryptic response would leave Severus in quiet contemplation all day, well more fool him.

Harry

"What do you mean?" the child bounced on his knees with a grin of excitement. Exploding snap really was an exhilarating game.

"Well, this proves it" the woman grinned, as her own eyes shone with joy "only a magical child could make the card explode!". Of course, Minerva had known the child was magic long before he had made his first card explode, but telling the boy was not nearly as enjoyable as showing him.

"So, I'm really magic?" Harry smiled, sitting back on his heels once more to think about this revelation. Magic! "Can I pull a rabbit out a hat?" the child requested, to the older woman's shock. She had begun sweeping up the cards into a neat pile, Harry cautiously offering his own pile to her as she did. He certainly did not want his magic to cause them to explode as she put them away. He hadn't known how he had managed it the first time and hoped he would soon be told how he could tell when he was doing magic.

"Why in Merlin's name would you pull a rabbit out of a hat?" the woman asked in genuine interest. While she had taught many a Muggle student throughout her time, she had not heard of such a request being made before.

"All the cool magicians do it!" he exclaimed, standing as Professor McGonagall ushered him over to her dining table.

"We will have some lunch, and then perhaps a nap is in order?" she asked as the child pulled himself up into a chair, yawning all the while. She would not admit it, but a nap didn't sound like a bad idea to her either. Of course, Harry seemed exceptionally well-behaved for a boy his age, but she had not had to keep up with such a young child in Merlin knew how long. Tapping the table, a glass of water and a ham sandwich appeared before her, while the same except for a glass of milk appeared in front of the child.

"Thank you" the child breathed out, after having guzzled down half his milk. Harry was too scared to say, but he didn't think he really liked milk. Ever since that first time Snape had given him some, he had realised it left a weird film all around his mouth. Still, he didn't dare tell the adults he didn't like it or else he might never get a drink again. Mrs Wilkinson had once told the class that humans could survive a while without food, but without a drink they'd be dead in days!

"What would you like to do after your nap?" the woman asked before biting into her sandwich and gesturing the child to do the same.

"Maybe we can see Hageed?" the child asked, making sure to swallow his bite of sandwich before speaking, it was rude not to. He had met Hagrid yesterday just outside of the Headmasters office, and the half-giant had offered him to come down to his hut to play with his dog. Harry wasn't sure he liked dogs because Aunt Marge's dog would always play real rough! Maybe, because Hagrid was so huge, his dog would be even bigger than the dogs he had seen before.

"Hagrid will be quite happy to have some visitors, I'm sure" she smiled, happy that of all people the child had taken a liking to the friendly half giant. McGonagall watched as the child swallowed his last bite of his sandwich, before waving a hand and watching in amusement as the boy stared in wonder at the now empty table.

"so cool" he whispered, more to himself than the lady in front of him, a smile on his face.

"come along, I have a lovely magical sofa you can take a nap on" she spoke with mirth, rising from her place at the table and moving back into her parlour, glancing back to watch as the child followed.

Harry followed, confused and intrigued about what a magical sofa might entail. He wondered if it might be that warranty thing his Uncle had once shouted about on the phone. One of the legs to the sofa had mysteriously come off, and Harry knew it had been when Dudley had ridden his new bike around the front room. He hadn't dared to say it, however, as he knew somehow it would be his fault. Like Dudley swerving so as not to hit Harry, and accidentally hitting the sofa leg. It had happened once when Dudley threw a tennis ball at his head and, in an effort to avoid being hit, the child had ducked, exposing the vase behind him. Harry had been quite shocked when he had gotten in trouble rather than his cousin!

Severus

The headmaster's words were playing over in his head. At first, he had thought the man was referring to James Potter, bane of Severus' life thus far. He knew that Albus was worried he would hate the child on account of his parentage, specifically his paternal parentage. Sipping his cup of chamomile tea, if only to calm his thoughts, he reflected on the events of the past two days. He did not understand how he had come to be some sort of guardian to the child, nor why the Headmaster was so insistent that it had to be him of all people. Though, as his thoughts turned to the green-eyed child, he realised that the boy had not been so bad. In fact, his responses reminded Severus of himself at that age, though he was loathed to admit it.

The sins of our Father's need not be our own he pondered the words carefully. Dammit! The man thought, thinking of his own father. Suddenly, he began to see the dual meaning behind the man's words. The headmaster was warning him against becoming Tobias Snape, and the thought made him shudder. He was not like Tobias Snape, never had been, never would be.

Minerva

After putting the child down for a nap, Minerva McGonagall moved over to her study. She planned to look through the list of incoming first years, something she did every year. Minerva liked to see if any of her Lion's siblings would be coming in or check for typically Gryffindor family names. For many years, the staff had played a game of sweepstakes in which they attempted to guess which house the new first years would be sorted into. They hadn't done so for a few years now, preferring instead to sweepstake on which house would get the first sorting of the night.

"Come in" she spoke as she heard a familiar knock at her study door, looking up as the charm's teacher entered.

"Good afternoon, Minerva" he smiled, "I thought I would pop round and see how you were getting on with your preparations for this evening".

"A pleasure to see you Filius, as always" she returned, waving her wand to summon a fresh pot of tea, two teacups, and a tray of biscuits.

At the gesture, Filius Flitwick walked himself the few short steps to the vacant desk chair. Lifting the lid, he looked at the woman before him with a grin "a true Scottish brew" he smiled eagerly smelling the strong aroma of tea that filled the air around them.

"Ay Filius" she agreed "the only true way one should consume this delectable beverage". Minerva was well-known around the castle, at least among the faculty, for making some of the strongest tea for herself and her guests.

"I hear you have been watching our young resident this morning" he enquired, breaking the quiet that had consumed the room as the pair sipped their tea leisurely.

"Severus was having quite the difficult time with him, as you can imagine" she responded, giving the other professor a look as she lowered her teacup. "He's napping in my parlour at the moment"

"Severus? I do say Minerva!" the small professor joked, causing the usually stern-faced transfiguration teacher to release a burst of laughter in return.

Harry

"Mmmn" the boy mumbled, rolling onto his back and peeling his face away from the pillow it had been smushed against. He had, at first, been wholly offended by the suggestion that he ought to nap. In his whole 5 years of life, nobody had ever made him take a nap. He had seen Dudley take a nap, and even Charlie Pilkins' mum had threatened to make him take a nap if he didn't shape up.

Sitting up, he crossed his legs beneath himself as he glanced around the parlour. He liked being at this lady's house, but he did wonder where Snape was. Harry wasn't sure if Snape liked him, but he quite liked the man. Granted, he was a bit stern and sometimes scared him, but he had taken him from the Dursley's.

This house was quite different to Snape's, even though the layout was the same. Snape's house was covered in books, and jars of gross things. This house, however, had no jars. As he looked around, comparing it to the house he had stayed in last night, Harry heard mutterings coming from the door on his left. He had not been into that room before, or the similarly placed room in Snape's house, but he was a curious child.

Minerva

"Surely, he will come around to the child?" he asked, hoping for the answer that would serve as a redeeming quality to the usually stern man. "He is just a child after all"

"Filius" she responded, speaking somewhat slowly "does Severus strike you as a man to change his mind so easily?". She watched the man before her as she took a long sip of her stronger-than-usual brew. It was inconceivable that, of all professors, Severus should be chosen to care for the child. Granted, he had built a good relationship with the child's mother, but it was as though Albus had forgotten entirely about the relationship he had experienced with the child's father.

"I don't know, Minerva" he resigned with a sigh "one can hope that the better qualities emerge from a man when presented with such circumstances as these". The war had taken its toll on people, but Filius Flitwick had hoped that if anything good were to come of it, it would be a renewed appreciation for helping others. In times of need and crisis, the wizarding world came together. He only hoped it could do so in times of peace too.

"Severus is a good man" she agreed instantly, for there was no denying her feelings towards him. He had redeemed himself in her eyes, for his adolescent mistake almost 4 years ago. The mistake had cost Minerva four of her favourite Lions, but this one Snake had held a place in her heart too. "But good men fall in the faces of their demons".

"Demons?" the surprised voice broke through, a hand pointing to the door that led to the parlour "he's 5 Minerva" the man reiterated, as though the woman may lack the cognitive ability to recall such information.

"Not him" she responded quickly, "not him, but the things he represents" she thought back, not just on the boy's father but his mother too. The child represented Severus' boyhood nightmare; the spikey hair, cheeky grin. He also, perhaps more painfully, represented Severus' deepest regret. "Each time he looks at the child he likely sees the cost of his survival"

"Lily" the man spoke the name in sombre. She had been a charms prodigy. In fact, had she lived to see the end of the war, she would have known that Filius had planned to make her his charms apprentice. Rarely did a student come along with such a talent for the subject, and Filius couldn't help the overwhelming feelings of sadness when he thought of the lost life and talent. "You think Severus won't want him" breaking the silence they had established as both professors thought of the ginger-haired young woman that had once graced the halls of Hogwarts.

"I daresay I know it" came the response, though Minerva was well aware the man before her had not asked but stated.

Harry

The small child had listened at the door. A few tears had made there way down his face as he did so, but he quickly and roughly brushed them from his cheeks. He had not understood everything that had been said. The two adults had mentioned some names he hadn't heard before, but he hadn't focussed on that. No, he had focussed on the woman's words. She had said that Severus did not want him. That even looking at Harry made the man sad. Well, Harry would not be responsible for that. He had made his Aunt sad, and truth be told he was sick of it. When his Aunt had disliked him, Harry had thought that maybe, just maybe, it was a problem with her. Maybe she was just mean, or maybe way deep down she was truly evil or something. However, overhearing the conversation between the two adults had caused a shift inside the child. Suddenly, his thoughts turned to introspection. It seemed, to the child, that there was a pattern – and the common denominator was him.

Well the child thought as he began bracing himself, I don't want to make anyone else sad. As he pondered what it might be about him that caused people to dislike him, Harry began stuffing his feet into his trainers, not bothering with the laces. He couldn't tie them anyway, so it was easier to stuff them in with the knots still tied than to waste time teaching himself to tie them up. He shuffled around the parlour he had been napping in, looking for some scrap paper. Harry, though not accustomed to the idea of parents, knew it was rude to leave without saying anything. Walking over to a small shelf on the far-left side of the room, Harry grabbed a scrap bit of parchment with which to write his note.

Deer Mr Snaype,

I fought about it an I will go. I dont want you to be sad becos of me. I will go to London like befor. Sorry

By Harry

He was quite proud of his note as he placed it on the coffee table, face-up so the man wouldn't panic when he came to collect him. Of course, the child was sad to be forced to leave the castle. It had been a pretty cool experience. But all good things came to an end and, while this had ended sooner than expected, Harry didn't mind. He was only 5 after all, and new adventures would come his way.

Severus

Storming his way through the castle, Severus Snape prepared himself for the following few hours. He was thankful that Minerva had taken the child off his hands for the best part of the day but, though he would refuse to admit it in the land of the living, he had missed the child slightly. The goofy looks the child would throw him, the endless questions about magic, the muttered whisperings about how 'cool' the castle was.

"Minerva" he greeted politely yet coolly as he entered the room "and Filius, good day" he continued, noticing the charms professor at the table also.

"Good day to you Severus" the professor returned, adjusting himself so that he could greet the man with a friendly smile "I trust you're ready for the students return?"

"Ready, if not eager" he returned dryly, before turning towards Minerva "Has Potter been well behaved?". The tone of voice did not sound at all confident that the child had, in fact, been well behaved despite the man having little evidence to suggest he wouldn't.

"Harry" she emphasised, "has been most pleasant company". Eyeing the man over her spectacles, a stern expression on her face she continued "I was quite happily entertained by his presence here".

Harry

The young child trudged across the grounds of the castle. The rain earlier in the day had made the grass wet and sticky with mud. His left shoe had come off in it just a few moments prior and, losing his balance, he had ended up with a sock covered in mud. The worst part had been shoving his muddy sock cladded foot back into the shoe, which now squelched with each step.

Harry knew the castle less than he knew Little Whingeing. At least when he had run away there, he had known roughly which direction to head in. He had also known which parts of town to avoid at all costs, because Aunt Petunia said they were full of drunks and bums. However, the castle seemed to be surrounded by nothing. To one side there was a huge lake. It was pretty, but Harry didn't go near it on account of the fact that he couldn't swim. He had also developed an aversion to deep bodies of water after Dudley had held his head under the bath water for a really long time.

As the child trudged in the only direction he thought he could head, he was unaware that he was heading directly towards the forbidden forest. You see, the trees on the outer perimeter of the forest were scarce, the gaps between the trees inviting. It was only once one got through the first few layers that the thick density of the trees made it impossible to see a route out.

Severus

Seated alongside Professor Flitwick, Severus contentedly sipped the tea he had been offered as Minerva went to rouse the child. He had been quite reservedly happy when she had offered a brew before he bid his leave. It was now two o'clock in the afternoon and the students would be arriving at six. That meant he had just four hours to finalise the dorms and check his stocks, as well as get the child in some presentable form for the welcoming feast.

"He's gone!" came the shrill, panic-filled voice, moments before Minerva came rushing back into the study.

"What do you mean he's gone?" the charms professor interjected, placing his teacup back down on the table.

"What do I mean he's gone?" she exclaimed in agitation "He's gone!" grabbing her head in frustration, she looked towards Severus. "He left this note to you" she added reprovingly, shoving the note at the man as she stared at him in disapproval.

"His spelling is atrocious" the man muttered absently as he read the note, though the pinched look to the onyx eyes revealed some emblem of concern in the man.

"To hell with his spelling, Severus" came the quick, fiery response that only a Scott could produce.

Severus, in response, held up a single hand in silence as he re-read the note. "I fail to see what has the child so upset" the man spoke after some time, though he had grown increasingly on edge as he read it the second time. "Regardless, his stump-like legs are hardly going to take him far at all" he added as he rose from his chair.

"Where are you going?" Filius interjected, looking between both adults as though he had missed something.

"I will endeavour to find our missing hero" he spoke with sarcasm, moving across the room to the door "I bid you both a good afternoon, and shall join you for the welcoming feast". Though the moment he stepped out of the woman's study, he dropped his façade of indifference. In fact, his heart had been racing since she had first uttered the words. He tried to convince himself that it was some anxious response to the likely wrath he would face from the headmaster, though he knew that wasn't the true source of his anxiety.

Harry

"Ni-nice horsey" the child tried as he stared in utter disbelief at the creature before him. It had the top of a human, but the bottom of a horse, and Harry thought that was both wicked-cool and super weird. He had been walking through the forest for quite a while, hoping that if he tried to stay in a straight line, he would emerge the other side.

"It is a rare occurrence to see a child in these woods" the half-horse-half-man spoke, moving closer to the boy who stood trembling in the forest. "Too young to be at Hogwarts" he continued, walking in a loose circle around the child "what brings you to these woods child?"

"I'm going to London" the child answered meekly, as if the creature might bite his head off if he spoke the wrong words.

"You are a long way from London, child" he added "and you've mud in your shoe".

At this, Harry looked down to his feet. He was a mess in all honesty. The mud had gradually crept up and up, now displaying splodges that went all the way up to his knees. "Its because it was raining" the child explained, pointing a finger in the direction of the castle.

"Yes, so I see" he indulged, smiling softly as the child stared at his hoofs and then his body. "What is your name then, boy of the mud?"

At this, the child smiled, already fond of this creature, if a bit weary. "I'm Harry" he smiled, tapping his chest as if the creature may not know he was speaking about himself. "What's your name?"

"I am Firenze" he responded, looking down at the child.

"Friends?" the child enquired, "that's a cool name" he spoke his thoughts aloud, "bet you have lots of them".

"Firenze" the man responded more slowly, though he held back a laugh as he did so. "There are some friends in these forests Harry, but some foes too, let me walk you back to the edges"

"To London, yeah?" the child bounced excitedly, falling into step behind the creature.

"To home."

Severus

He was growing more panicked by the minute. It had been half an hour now since they had realised the child was missing, and with each minute he found himself imagining even worse things had happened to the child. There were thousands of things that could kill a child at Hogwarts, even if it was a school specifically for children.

"Peeves!" he bellowed across the hallway, spotting the poltergeist gleefully chortling down the hall. As the poltergeist continued, behaving as though he were unaware of the man calling him, Severus breathed a deep breath. "Alright Peeves" he called, holding his hands up to the pest "perhaps you'll speak with the Bloody Baron instead?"

"Ohhh is that you, Severus?" he immediately responded feigning surprised as he drifted over to float before the man "I had thought it was a portrait gasping for my attention" he laughed, before somersaulting in the air.

"Enough" the man spoke firmly now, never amused by the antics of Peeves "have you seen a small child around?"

At this, the poltergeist floated into a seated position, crossing one leg over the other as he placed a hand on his chin. "Have I seen a child?" he asked, tapping his chin in wonder "well, of course, there's that funny ginger lad, what's his name again"

"very well" the man muttered to himself "Oh Waldo, great ghost of Slytherin House" the man called loudly, pleased as he watched the poltergeists face twist into one of pure fear. Severus knew the baron was close when the poltergeist flew down the hallway and disappeared from sight.

There were many words people had used to describe Severus Snape; dungeon bat, unrelenting, intimidating, even traumatising. Never, however, had Severus Snape been described as 'frantic', and if it weren't true, he'd have been offended. The Bloody Baron, though few were lucky enough to experience it, could actually be a very agreeable ghost, particularly to members of his House.

"Professor Snape" the ghost greeted as he arrived "you called?"

"Thank you, Waldo, your assistance is most appreciated" he answered formally, knowing it took little to evoke the darker side of the ghost. "I must beg your assistance in locating a small child who appears to be wandering the grounds" came the cool response, though inside he could feel his heart beating against his ribcage. Not only would he face the wrath of Albus Dumbledore for losing the child within 24 hours of finding him, but he would also have to come to terms with his own guilt.

Harry

"Frenze?" the small boy called as he trudged behind the creature. He had started off alongside him, but the forest was large and getting back to the edges was taking a long time.

Pausing to turn and look at the child, he smiled "what is it, boy of the mud?"

Harry was not sure how to ask what he wanted to ask. What are you? sounded like a rude question, and Harry did not want to offend the creature that had been so nice to him. "Umm, did you always live in the forest?" the child asked, not sure how this question would lead him to the answer he sought.

"I was born here in this Forest" he spoke wistfully, looking around at the thick trees "along with my brothers and sisters"

"Wish I had a brother" Harry offered, kicking at a small rock by his foot. "Bet they play with you a lot huh?"

"I am afraid my kind do not play, Harry" the creature laughed, as though such a thing was preposterous.

The creature looked on at the child as he appeared to bite his lip, a question twinkled in the child's eyes, but he was too afraid to ask it.

"What do you wish to ask me, boy of the mud?" he asked with mirth as the pair continued walking, now side by side. The boy turned questioning eyes up at him, as if asking whether he genuinely had permission to ask the question on his mind.

"What, what is your kind Frenze?" the hesitant voice almost whispered. Firenze could tell the child was expecting an angry retort, but he was not offended by such questions.

"We call ourselves Centaurs"

"Centaurs?" he tested back, a new word on his growing list of magical vocabulary. Aunt Petunia had often told him that creatures from fairy tales were not real, but here it seemed anything could be real.

"Yes, child" he confirmed "and now my turn for a question" he added, without turning back to look at the child. Harry jogged to catch up again, remaining silent as he waited for the centaur's question. "You are a magical child?" he asked, as they began to approach more sparse trees, indicating they were close to the exit.

"I think so" he nodded enthusiastically, "I played exploding snap and I made the card explode!" the animated voice chirped up.

"Ah, yes the marker of a magical child" Firenze responded as he tried to hide his own laugh. His trip today had proved to be quite entertaining, and he hoped he might see this child again someday. "you will have to show me this game so that I may see if I am magic".

The pair had now approached the entrance to the forest, the castle just in sight between the branches of the trees. "Hey!" Harry exclaimed, turning towards the centaur with hands on hips and a frown on his face. "You said you would help me get to London"

"Ah, young Harry, I said no such thing" he forced out nonchalantly, though the look on the child's face and the stance he was holding made Firenze quite amused.

Severus

"I don't know Albus!" he exclaimed, standing before the man in the circular office. He, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick had decided that if they did not find the child within the hour, they would inform the headmaster.

Albus looked at the frantic man with well-disguised satisfaction. He was concerned, of course, for the child, but he had not expected Severus to warm to the child so quickly. "We must remain calm, Severus" he encouraged, as he poured each person a cup of tea "panicking will not help matters"

"I do not panic" the man hissed back, annoyed at the serenity of the old man in such serious circumstances.

"Albus is right, Severus" Minerva interjected "we must be rational, and think like Harry would"

"Exactly!" Filius agreed "Let us think as he would, and then we will better know where the child might have gone"

"Of all the ridiculous ideas" the potions master scoffed "be rational, think like a 5-year-old?!" he exclaimed "what 5-year-old have you met that does anything rationally?"

"Calm yourself" the old man spoke, raising blue eyes up to meet the young man before him "we are simply exploring all possibilities" gesturing to the potions master, he indicated the man ought to take a seat.

"The other professors have been notified" she spoke now, directly to Albus "and the ghosts informed"

"Do we know what caused the young lad to flee our midst?" blue eyes travelled across each professor in turn, igniting feelings of guilt without making any accusations.

"Minerva and I, we had been speaking about the arrangements" the charms professor disclosed hesitantly, looking towards said colleague as he did "I am not sure if the child" he trailed off, though the other occupants of the room were aware of what the man was alluding to.

Severus shot both professors a glare as he heard this, though he was silenced from interjecting by a single raised hand of the headmaster.

"I see" the headmaster eyed both professors above his spectacles.

Harry

"You did so!" the child accused, still standing on the peripherals of the forest. He had thought Firenze was his friend, but really the centaur had been tricking him the entire time.

"I simply assured you I would take you home" the words cut through Harry's silent self-pity.

At the word 'home', Harry's stance suddenly switched from one of abject defiance to one of defeat. Shoulders slumped down, and the frown turned into a look of dejection. "but this isn't my home" he spoke into his chest, head dropped down so that the centaur could only see the short spikey hair that covered the boys head.

"This forest is no place for a child" the centaur spoke softly now, bending a knee in hopes of speaking to the child's face. "I have a good friend in this castle who I think will be able to help you" smiling as the small face turned up at him in curiosity.

"will he want to be my friend too?" the child asked with hope as Firenze looked over towards a hut in the grounds.

"oh, without a doubt" the centaur assured him "come along, I believe you will like him very much". At this, he emerged through the last trees which marked the entrance to the forest, Harry a step behind.

"Firenze!" a happy voice boomed across the grass, making Harry jump. "Now, what brings yeh this way then? I've not seen yeh in a troll's minute" he added in excitement. A troll's minute? The child thought, watching as Firenze smiled at the interaction. Harry knew the voice; he had met Hagrid just yesterday and had quite liked the huge man.

"Hagrid, an honour it is to see you again" the centaur approached "I believe I came across a friend of yours in the forest" he added, gesturing to the small form hidden behind him.

" 'Arry, is that you? What're ye doin out 'ere?" the man asked, glancing around for another adult "ye must be freezing" he added, not waiting for a response, "come in an' I'll get ye a tea an' a rock cake, how's that sound?"

Severus

After his brief meeting with the headmaster, Severus once again left to search for the child. Despite the size of the castle, they had managed to cover most areas and yet there had been no sign of the child. Thus, Severus approached the entrance hall in hopes of seeing the boy simply playing outside on the grounds. He was thankful that the castle was empty, and that he still had further two hours until they would arrive, likely making the task of finding the child even more difficult.

He was not sure why, but he must have felt something for the child if his heart had sustained its quick pace since discovering he was missing.

"Any luck, Severus?" Minerva's voice called over the balcony of the staircase, just a floor up from where he stood.

Craning his head up to fix the woman with a glower, "yes, Minerva" he spoke in cheerful sarcasm before gesturing to an invisible force beside him "say hello to Professor McGonagall, Harry".

"Your hostility is neither needed nor wanted" she spoke sternly, fixing the man a glare of her own. In fairness, she had half a mind to laugh at the man. She had not seen him in such a state since his final NEWT exams when he was a student. However, she also knew that if she failed to reign in his temper, some poor unforgiving first year would be permanently traumatised by the potions master.

At this, Severus rolled his eyes. If people would desist in their pointless questions, he might be able to focus a bit better on finding the bloody child. "I shall endeavour to check the grounds" he called back before walking outside.

Spying the lake, thoughts of the boy being dragged beneath the surface by the giant squid infiltrated his mind. He thus determinedly set for the lake, knowing he could only prove or disprove such images by doing so.

Harry

Looking at the half-giant with bashful eyes, Harry tried to wipe the slobber off his hand and on to his trousers without being seen. Hagrid had introduced him to Fang and, perched atop a much-too-large chair at a much-too-large table, Harry absently stroked the dog who lay underneath.

"There's a nice cup o' cocoa f'you 'Arry" the half-giant beamed as he proudly placed a huge mug of hot chocolate in front of the small child before taking his own seat at the table. He had been forced to place a number of cushions on the child's chair, and yet still the boys chin was barely visible above the tabletop.

Harry watched the man drink his own hot chocolate before taking a sip of the mug in front of him and offering the man a beaming smile of his own "Thanks Hageed! This is the best drink I ever had"

Hagrid smiled proudly at this, "Well yer welcome t'come by 'ere anytime ye like 'Arry"

"Could I even play with Fang sometime?" the little boy asked, somewhat shyly, as though his request might result in Hagrid hating him.

"Oh, I'm sure Fang 'ere would love that" the friendly half-giant responded, reaching down to give said dog a scratch behind its ears. "'E does like a bit o'company our Fang"

"So do I" came the innocent, smiled response.

Severus

Somewhat relieved, though no closer to finding the child, Severus began walking away from the Lake. It meant the child had not died at the hands of the giant squid, nor the merpeople that lived in the lake. However, it meant Severus was quickly running out of time, and growing ever more panicked. He walked towards the castle, hoping the other professors may have happened across the child.

As Severus stood surveying the grounds from a distance, it suddenly dawned on him that nobody had thought to inform Hagrid. Severus didn't dislike the half-giant and wasn't sure it was even possible to do so. However, Hagrid was not used to company and often Severus felt he would be kept at the hut too long. He reasoned though, that if the child were out wondering the grounds, his best bet on being found was Rubeus Hagrid. Thus, Severus began his dissent back towards the hut, where the flicker of lights indicated Hagrid was at home with his fire lit.

Harry

"and then I was trying to get to London but Frenze stopped me" the child finished nervously, glancing up to the man and back to the tabletop throughout his summary of his escapade.

"Well ye must be 'ungry after such an ordeal" he concluded, much to Harry's delight. No telling off, no lecture about how he ought not to scare people, no being shoved in a cupboard or whacked upside the head. Harry very much liked Hagrid.

"M'Okay" the child spoke quietly, hoping not to be a burden to his new friend. "can I come an' hang out with you again Hagrid?" the child asked, blushing at his previous butchering of the man's name.

As Hagrid opened his mouth to tell the child that of course, without a doubt, he was welcome to come to the Hut whenever he so pleased, a firm knock sounded at the door.

"Looks like we got another visitor 'Arry" the man turned away from the knock to offer the child a smile before calling "come in".

Severus felt the air leave his lungs as he spied the small child, sitting merrily at the table, little legs swinging beneath his chair miles from the ground. Though when the small face turned up to see who had intruded on his time with the half-giant, Severus felt a crack in his chest at the immediate look of fear. There was something satisfying about seeing such an expression on some half-wit third year who couldn't remember which end of the stirrer went into the cauldron and which end they held. However, seeing it on such a young chid engendered no such feelings of satisfaction. In fact, there was a definitive presence of guilt that he felt for having made the child respond in such a way, simply at his presence.

"Potter" he greeted somewhat hesitantly, nodding to the child before his eyes drifted to the other occupant of the room "and Hagrid, I hope you are well"

"Please Sev'rus, join us" Hagrid offered, pulling a chair out for the man before collecting a third mug "tea, coffee, or cocoa then?" he asked, pointing to each option as though Severus may otherwise not know.

"A coffee would be most welcome" he declared, though his attention was more on the child than the half-giant.

"'Arry was just tellin me abou' 'es adventure this afternoon" he spoke as he approached the table with a steaming pot of coffee. Harry sunk lower into his chair, hoping Mr Snape would not ask him to re-tell the tale. Hagrid had not been angry about it, but he wasn't so sure Mr Snape wouldn't be.

"Was he now?" inquired the dark-haired professor, glancing down at the child who sat to his right. "I must confess the Professors here have spent the best parts of their afternoons tracking the child down" he directed towards Hagrid, though he noted the child had the good decency to look ashamed at this.

Harry glanced between the two adults as they exchanged words. He was silently afraid that Mr Snape might tell Hagrid that he wasn't a good boy, and that Hagrid might retract his offer of friendship. The child absentmindedly picked at a loose thread in his trousers, wrapping the thread tightly around his finger and watching as the blood appeared to leave it.

"A curious lad isn't 'e" the half-giant continued, unaware of the child's growing anxiety as the two adults spoke. "I'm sure 'e didn't mean no trouble by it"

At this, Severus looked at the top of the messy head, placing his own hand over the child's to stop him cutting his circulation off with a piece of thread the child was playing with. Harry looked up into the black eyes, searching for something that he may not have seen before. He had thought the man would have been pleased at his departure and was not sure why he and the other professors had spent their days looking for him.

"Where were you attempting to go to this time, Potter?" the man asked, removing his hand from the child's as he assured himself the child's finger as he unwound the thread.

Harry simply spared a glance up at the man, through thick eyelashes. Green eyes hesitantly met his own though no answer was offered.

"You left me a note" he spoke again, reminding himself to stay calm at the child's inability to communicate with him. At the child's nod, he returned a raised eyebrow, asking for elaboration.

"it's rude t'not leave a note" the child whispered back, unsure of himself and his answer. Severus was surprised, and his expression said it. In all honesty, he had thought the child leaving a letter had been some ploy of self-pity. A last ditch attempt to make everyone feel bad for him. He had certainly not assumed that it was the child's attempt to be polite.

"A wise decision" came the unexpected praise "though perhaps you might ask an adult to accompany you the next time" the man finished, draining the last mouthful of coffee from his mug. Harry listened attentively and noticed that, while the man hadn't exactly spoken happily, he hadn't sounded angry either.

"I s'ppose I'll be seein ye both fer the feast tonight?" Hagrid asked as it became obvious that the potions master was preparing to depart.

Harry was aware there would be some kind of celebration this evening. Mr Snape had told him that the students would arrive today, and there would be a lot of people in the castle. Harry was excited but apprehensive. He had never been terribly popular and the idea of a lot of other kids in the castle overwhelmed him slightly.

"We shall be present" Severus nodded towards the gentle man, "I must thank you for your warm hospitality Hagrid"

"Y'know I'm always one fer a bit o'company Sev'rus" he smiled in return as professor and child stood, the smaller of the two less confident than the larger.

"Thank Hagrid for hosting you, Potter" the potions master demanded softly, waiting for the child to do so before he inclined his head once more towards their host.

Severus would have staunchly denied it had anyone seen and asked at a later point. He may even have denied it in the given moment had anyone been around to challenge him for it. But as he walked out of the hut, as if on unplanned instinct, he reached a hand down in offer to the child. He attempted to convince himself that it was simply a matter of ensuring he didn't lose the child once again. However, when he felt a small hand placed within his own, a rush of warmness seemed to fill him, a warmness he had not felt in a number of years.